I have to admit, on this year's Best Of ballot, I voted for
the Blue Star — and in more than one category. Apparently I
wasn't alone.

The Blue Star grabbed a massive nine awards, including first places
in Overall Restaurant (for the third time) and Wine List (for the fifth
year in a row). Add second places for Wine Bar, Appetizers, Wait Staff
and Innovative Menu, and thirds for Fine Dining, Restaurant for Dessert
and Place for a Blind Date, and what you've got is a force to reckon
with in Colorado Springs.

We decided this year to go straight to some of our voters to find
out why they rate the Blue Star so high.

Deb Courtney

Visits the Blue Star: For happy hour, twice a month. For
dinner, every six weeks or so.

Why did you select the Blue Star for Best Overall Restaurant?
The Blue Star is a place that I'm very comfortable taking people that I
know, because the food is always interesting, and changes frequently.
It's a visually distinctive environment, and it's very comfortable.

Do you have a favorite drink there? I'm a traditional martini
girl. So I will go in and ask for a gin martini with a twist. And
that's a drink that's very simple, and yet can be ill-prepared very
easily. And for me, it's one of those places I can go in and know
exactly the drink I'm going to get, and I don't have to worry about
it.

If you got locked inside the Blue Star overnight, how would you
choose to pass the time? I would make myself a martini and I would
stare at that gorgeous carpet that's on the ceiling, and look at the
art that they have in there, and try to find where they keep the
cheeses in the kitchen.

If you could tell owner Joe Coleman one thing about the Blue
Star, what would you say? Thank you for creating a place I love so
much.

Derek Wheeler

Visits the Blue Star: A couple times a year.

Why did you pick the Blue Star for Best Overall Restaurant?
Just because I think it is the best overall. They have a good
unique menu, great wine list, great ambience. Of the places I've been,
it's the best place I've eaten in town.

Do you have a favorite dish? No. Their menu changes so often.
Every time I go there, there's something different on there that kind
of strikes me. But usually anything they do with the ahi is good.

What one word would you use to describe the Blue Star?
Excellent.

If you could tell owner Joe Coleman anything about the Blue Star,
what would you say? Keep up the good work.

Barbara Gregory

Visits the Blue Star: Not as often as I would like, probably
a couple times a year.

Why is it the Best Overall Restaurant? I think that it really
offers such a good overall menu, No. 1, that it really appeals to
everyone. I'm a big fan of the Famous, but the Blue Star is so
imaginative, as far as their menu goes. And I've brought folks from out
of town there who've just thought it was wonderful. The service was
always good. ... I travel quite a bit, and the restaurant is as good as
any restaurant I've been to anywhere, which is nice.

If you got locked inside the Blue Star overnight, how would you
pass the time? I think a couple things. I think I'd be snooping
through the kitchen because I like the kitchen, I like the layout, and
I'd kinda like to see what they cook in, what they use. I'd also go
poking around in the wine cellar. And I'd like to see what spices the
chef has on his shelf.

What one word would you use to describe the Blue Star?
Inventive.

What do you like best about the Blue Star? The thing that I
really love about their food is that [chef James Davis] combines a lot
of different flavors in a very unique way that you wouldn't think about
necessarily. And yet, the flavors never overpower the dish, which is
great.

Melissa Kimbler Blevins

Visits the Blue Star: Three or four times a year.

Why did you select it for Best Overall Restaurant? We always
have a great time there. It's a combo of the atmosphere and the menu.
I've never had a bad thing on the menu. There's always a lot of
variety.

Do you have a favorite dish? I love the Enchiladas No. 5.
I've never had anything there that I didn't like.

What makes the Blue Star special? It's a really great place
for a date night, or for a fun kind of event. I've never actually sat
in the dining room. We always just sit in the bar. We love that you can
have both menus [in the bar]. ... It's not really like a bar. It
doesn't feel like a bar.

If you got locked inside the Blue Star overnight, how would you
choose to wile away the hours? I know that I would open up a bottle
of La Crema. And then start looking for the desserts.